14.6.2009
Impala Cruise 5
http://www.netsaga.is/media/files/ama.mp3 Obadiah couldn’t believe it was morning. He opened one eye to confirm it, and saw the sunlight seeping in from around the curtains. "Yeah, I guess." "Well, then hop up and get dressed. I’ll get us a table." When she opened the door it nearly blinded him. She let it slam. He jumped. Might as well get out of bed, he thought. Otherwise, she’d come back and drag him out by the ear. He found her tube of toothpaste on the sink and helped himself, using his finger as a toothbrush. His clothes smelled slightly better than the night before, but they looked as though they’d been slept in. As he walked along the front of Denny’s toward the entrance, he saw Impala inside. He stepped up to the window for a closer look. Some guy was sitting at the table with her. She seemed to be having a nice conversation with him while sipping coffee. What did Obadiah think—that he was the only man in her life? Was he actually jealous? That was crazy. He barely even knew her. Their one intimate moment had taken place in a dream. Obadiah considered just leaving—walking back to the room. But he was hungry. And who the heck was this new guy anyway? Then he saw the man get up from the table. Impala got up too. She followed him to the cashier and he paid the bill. Obadiah was standing at the door when the two walked out. Impala ignored him. He started to say something, but decided to wait and see what would happen next. Impala was following the man into the parking lot. Two police cars came racing in from the highway. But there were no flashing lights. No sirens. What was the hurry? The Grand Slam breakfast? The man looked back. "Sorry, Babe, I gotta go." He made a run for his car. Impala ran after him. Obadiah just stood there and watched—amazed and confused. The man made it to his car and reached for the door handle. Impala raised her right boot waist high and kicked him in the back, knocking him down. One of the police cars pulled up behind the man’s car, trapping it in place. By the time the man got to his feet, one of the cops had a pistol aimed at his chest. "Hold it right there!" The man froze. Impala walked over to where Obadiah was standing. "Ready to eat?" "Uh…yeah." He followed her back inside the restaurant while the police handcuffed the man and took him away. "What was that?" She walked him inside the restaurant. "Shh," she whispered. "People are already staring at us. Don’t make it worse." Once they were seated, Obadiah said, "Who was that guy?" "A bail jumper." Obadiah looked at her in disbelief. "What are you—a bounty hunter? That’s it. That’s what you do for Zeela—you hunt down bail jumpers." "No, I’m not a bounty hunter—yet. Right now I’m just a secretary. But I’ve already finished my training." "So, you’re telling me Zeela didn’t send you out to catch that guy?" "No. I just got lucky. In fact, she’ll fire me if she finds out I did anything more than calling the police. She could lose her license. But I just kinda fell into it. When I saw him through the window I thought he looked familiar." She held up her phone. "I’ve got all the pictures and info in here—just in case." "Just in case you run into one of them?" "Yeah. Even though I didn’t really think it would ever happen. But there he was—big as Texas. And I knew it was him because I spotted his car." "Could have been somebody else with the same kind of car." "You think? Somebody else with a metallic blue ‘69 Chevelle SS396?" "Okay. Probably not." "That thing’s got a high performance engine." "Good to know," he said felicitously. "So, you called the police." "Yeah. And I tried to keep him inside until they got here, but he was in a hurry to get back on the road." "Were you actually gonna get in his car?" "No, of course not. Although I wouldn’t mind taking that car out for a spin." Obadiah shook his head. "Gotta call Zeela." "I’m sure she’ll be proud." Impala stuck her tongue out at him. "Don’t you dare tell her I sat and had coffee with him, or that I knocked him down in the parking lot. If she finds out I’m toast." "Relax. I won’t squeal on you." Then it hit Obadiah. He was just another one of Zeela’s bail jumpers. He had stepped off the straight and narrow, and now she was reeling him in. He was Impala’s first official catch.
"Hey, Sleepyhead, I’m gonna walk over to Denny’s. You hungry?"
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